It is known that a silver halide color photographic materials provide a desired image after being subjected to light exposure and development. Silver halide color photographic materials generally comprise a silver halide emulsion and a so-called dye forming coupler which reacts with an oxide of an aromatic primary amine developing agent to form a dye (hereinafter referred to simply as "coupler"). In particular, combinations of yellow coupler (i.e., a yellow-dye-forming coupler), cyan coupler, and magenta coupler are generally employed.
Magenta dyes obtained from 5-pyrazolone couplers which have heretofore been frequently used as magenta couplers are disadvantageous in that they have a side absorption in the range near 430 nm and a poor sharpness of absorption on the long-wavelength side of the absorption curve. Thus, such magenta dyes leave much to be desired in color reproduction.
In order to overcome these disadvantages, pyrazoloazole couplers have been developed. Magenta dyes obtained by the coupling of such a coupler with an oxide of an aromatic primary amine developing agent are advantageous in that they are free from side absorption in the range near 430 nm when they are in the form of a solution in ethyl acetate, and develop a highly pure magenta color excellent in sharpness of absorption on the long-wavelength side of the absorption curve. Furthermore, color images thus obtained are excellent in fastness to light.
On the other hand, one of the important requirements for silver halide color photographic materials is that they provide color image that is stable with respect to variations in development conditions. In the development process, for example, the developer composition of a so-called running solution varies with its history, i.e., the amount of light-sensitive materials which it has treated, the amount of developer supplemented, the structure of a treating machine, or the like. As a result of extensive studies, the present inventors have found that the formation of color images stably with respect to variations in treatment conditions can be evaluated by the degree of change in the sensitometry curve with the passage of color development time.
The present inventors have made intensive studies to improve the color image formation stability of silver halide color photographic materials against the above mentioned fluctuation in treatment conditions. As a result, the present inventors have found that the sensitivity change in sensitometry curve with the passage of color development time upon the treatment of a combination of a pyrazoloazole coupler and silver halide grains with an aromatic primary amine type developing agent is smaller than that shown upon the treatment of a combination of a 5-pyrazolone coupler and silver halide grains with the same developing agent. However, as the need for high quality color photographic materials has increased, the need to simplify and speed up the treatment of color light-sensitive materials, such as a silver halide color photographic material comprising the pyrazoloazole coupler, leaves much to be desired in its color image stability against the fluctuation in treatment conditions and adaptability to rapid treatment.